Sing to Me
by SageK
Summary: Prompt: Because of McKinley's history with bullying, the school board institutes a tolerance week and of course the glee club has to perform. Blaine sings Sami - change the she's the he's - and Sam sings something IDK what, maybe to Blaine or coming out or whatever. No Cheating AU Kurt and Blaine broke up when Kurt left for NYADA


TOLERANCE WEEK!

"Oh God," Blaine murmured to Sam as they entered the choir room to see Finn underlining two words on the whiteboard. Themes either went well or really, really badly for all those concerned.

Finn waved them toward their seats, grinning as he said, "So, the district has finally decided to do something to combat the bullying in schools… Better late than never, right? There's going to be a Tolerance Week and Figgins wants you guys to sing some songs that are about tolerance, acceptance and stuff like that. Sounds good, right?"

He was met by the sounds of silence. Blaine heard Sam's shift beside him. They'd been quietly dating for several months now and only a few people were aware of that fact. Kurt (who would always be Blaine's dear friend) and Rachel, Sam's parents, Mike, Tina, Puck, Jake, Brittany and Santana all knew, but they decided to be low-key about it. Not hiding, but they had been bros first and people just hadn't noticed the subtle shifts in their interactions.

Because, honestly, high school was not a tolerant place.

Hell, even the name of this event. Tolerance meant putting up with something you didn't like, not accepting it.

"Can I sing a song to Santana?" Brittany asked, breaking the silence. "About our lady love?"

Sometimes, Blaine thought Brittany was one of the bravest people he'd ever met.

"That's the spirit," Finn praised. "Okay, let's warm up and I want everyone to think about what song they want to sing and we can make up a set list the next time we meet…."

* * *

Hours later, sitting at _Sushi!Sushi!_, Lima's only sushi restaurant (Blaine had been delighted to discover Sam was very fond of fish in any form), Blaine brought up the upcoming concert. Fiddling with a piece of Geso, Sam bit his lip before saying, "I was thinking of singing _Coming Clean_ by Green Day."

Since he wasn't hugely familiar with the band, Blaine said as much. "I don't know it. What's it about?"

"Growing up and coming to terms with the real world, embracing parts of yourself that you never talked about before. Billy Joe Armstrong said he was influenced by his own experiences as a bisexual young man and those of people around him," Sam offered, then glanced at Blaine through his eyelashes, smiling. "I mean, I'm there, and I want to say it. I want to hold your hand in public and kiss you if it feels right without having to make sure we're alone, you know?"

Wide smile crossing his face, Blaine replied, "Yeah, I do. If we're going to go public…I kinda wrote a song this fall, when I was in the weird, post-breakup, crushing on my best friend place… I want to sing it. It's about you."

Sam's eyes were wide. "You wrote a song about me?" he murmured, sounding a little awed. "That's…You know you're the best boyfriend ever, right?"

Blaine laughed and reached out to lace his fingers with Sam's. After his break up with Kurt, Blaine had a rough time and a one night rebound had made him feel even worse. Sam, as his buddy, had stuck with them and over the course of several months their relationship shifted. Both were cautious, having had heartbreak before, but when they shared a New Year's kiss, they realized some things were worth the risk.

* * *

"Okay, first things first! Who has a song for the Tolerance Assembly? It can be something you want to sing as a solo, duet or even a group number, so let's get things rolling!"

Finn stared out of the assembled glee club expectantly, big smile fading when no one immediately spoke.

To everyone's surprise, it was Joe who offered, "I was thinking _If I Had A Hammer_ for a group."

"Good," Finn agreed, writing the title on the board. "Great start. Thanks Joe."

Jake spoke up next. "Marley and I are going to do _I Believe_."

"I don't know that one," Finn admitted even as he added it to the board. "It fits the theme?"

With a nod, Jake replied, "It's about an interracial relationship and the couple hoping the girl's dad one day except them."

"Awesome choice."

"_I Am What I Am_ is my song," Unique said with a grin as the ideas began to flow more freely.

Kitty wanted to sing _Believe In Me_ by Demi Lovato, a song about self-acceptance.

Though _My Girl_ wasn't on theme, since it was Brittany seen to Santana, they decided it worked.

Ryder, Tina, Artie and Sugar had apparently brainstormed together and decided _Don't Laugh At Me_ by Mark Willis would be awesome for group.

When Finn's eyes landed on Sam, Blaine took a breath and sent supportive thoughts his way. "I'm going to sing _Coming Clean_."

Again, Finn didn't know the song, so Sam expounded. "It's about growing up, accepting the reality of adulthood and embracing your sexuality. In my case, bisexuality."

Halfway through writing the song title, Finn blinked. "Dude, did you just come out…Is it still called coming out if you're bi?"

"Santana says it's like pulling the door off of the closet so you can wander back-and-forth," Brittany inform the room…not a terrible analogy.

Of course, Sam wasn't currently doing any wandering, but as a general example it worked well enough.

"I'm going to perform something I wrote," Blaine said, trying to redirect attention and let Sam have a moment. Even though some of their friends already knew, it was a big step…one Sam seemed to be taking in stride if his smile was anything to go by and Blaine prided himself on being able to read all of Sam's smiles for what they really meant.

"You wrote a song? That's awesome," Finn enthused, moving on. "What's it called?"

Okay, so perhaps this wasn't the best way to change the topic. "Sammy, actually," Blaine replied, feeling every eye in the room turn to him.

There were a lot of _Oh Really?_ looks, but Sam was still smiling brightly and reached over to grab Blaine's hand, giving it a supportive squeeze.

"You guys are…huh," was Finn's eloquent commentary. "Cool. How long have you been together?"

"Since New Year's," Sam replied, glancing around to see the faces of their friends.

Everyone who hadn't known looked surprised, but no one looked hostile, so that was good. "We've been keeping things low key," Blaine added, feeling his own smile grow. "But we are ready to take the next step."

"Singing at the assembly is really public," Kitty said suddenly, looking pensive. "Personally, I don't care, but this is high school and you two are already…well, you. Do you really need to give people more incentive to harass you?"

Kitty wasn't the most politically correct person on the planet, but, in her own way, she was expressing concern for their well-being.

"Dudes, we got your backs," Jake assured them, slapping Ryder on the shoulder, prompting the other boy to nod rapidly.

Concerns aside, it felt good to be moving forward.

* * *

So far, the assembly/concert had been a moderate success. Though the rest of the school seemed to enjoy the music (and getting out of classes), Blaine wasn't sure they'd absorbed the words and meanings of the songs.

Sam had just finished his acoustic rendition of _Coming Clean_, which was received by the good bit of applause (mostly from girls who understandably thought Sam was hot) and Blaine was up.

After pushing the piano out onto the stage (with the help of the other glee guys), he took a seat and cleared his throat. "Hi. So, this is a song I wrote about someone special, before he knew how I felt. I hope you like it."

Glancing off the side of the stage as he began to pluck the first notes of the song, Blaine met Sam's gaze and saw him smile. Any nerves he felt evaporated and he grinned in return as he began to sing.

"I've seen his face  
I've heard his name  
I've lost my place and he's to blame  
And I can't stand it  
When I'm staring in his eyes  
And he's not looking back  
It ain't a big surprise"

There hadn't been any obvious negative reactions yet, but Blaine knew that could change. He was gay, everyone knew that, so they might have been expecting him to sing to boy. By living up to that expectation, the masses might actually be less unsettled than they otherwise would have been.

"I've heard music,  
I've heard noise  
I wish that he could hear his voice  
The way that I do  
When I go to sleep at night  
And dream my life away  
But he's gone when I awake  
Sammy, Sammy  
Why can't you see  
What you're doing to me?"

The bright stage lights kept him from seeing anyone in the audience's faces, but he was vaguely aware of some of them shifting. Sam's bright eyes were far more important.

"The way his hair falls in his eyes  
Makes me wonder  
If he'll ever see through my disguise  
And I'm under his spell  
Everything is falling_  
_But I don't know where to land  
And he just knows where he is  
But he don't know who I am  
Sammy, Sammy  
Why can't you see  
What you're doing to me?"

It was kind of amazing to be on stage, singing this song the Sam.

"I see you singing on that stage  
You look just like an angel  
And all I do is pray  
Than maybe someday  
You'll hear my song  
And understand that all along  
There's something more that I'm trying to say  
Ooh, when I say  
Sammy, Sammy  
Why can't you see  
What you're doing to me?  
What you're doing to me  
Sammy, Sammy  
Why can't you see  
What you're doing to me?  
What you're doing to me"

The final notes are still hanging in the air as he received a smattering of applause, no more, no less than there had been for everyone else.

When Sam and the other guys hurried out onto the stage to move the piano, Blaine was surprised by the hug his boyfriend enfolded him in. Clutching him tight for a moment, Blaine was grinning as they heaved piano into the wings.

Unique's performance was incredible, high energy and the perfect way to end the assembly. The crowd applauded loudly and, all in all, it was a success.

For Blaine and Sam, it was successful in more ways than one.

Comments are loved!


End file.
